Withdrawing and Return of Federal Financial Aid

Students who withdraw from the University of Idaho after the start of a semester may be required to repay a percentage of their financial aid. Students will be informed of any balance due by the Student Accounts office. The amount that must be repaid is based on the amount of time completed in the semester and is determined by the federal Return of Title IV Funds formula. Please refer to the following information regarding the return of federal student aid.

To remain eligible for federal student aid during the semester, the student must be attending classes, taking exams and completing required course work.

The 1998 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires the institution to calculate a Return of Federal Student Aid Funds for students who withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all classes on or before the 60 percent attendance point in the semester.

The calculation required determines a student’s earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the enrollment period completed by the student. The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the period. Calendar days (including weekends) are used, but breaks of at least 5 days are excluded.

Until a student has passed the 60% point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the student’s aid has been earned. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point is considered to have earned all awarded aid for the enrollment period.

The federal “Return of Title IV Funds” formula dictates the amount of Federal Title IV aid that must be returned to the federal government by the school and/or the student.

The unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). The funds are returned in the following order:

Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan

Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan

Federal Perkins Loan

Federal Graduate PLUS Loan

Federal PLUS Loan

Federal Pell Grant

Federal SEOG Grant

If, due to the withdrawal calculation, the student owes the federal government a portion of the loans or grants received at the beginning of the semester, the university will automatically pay this to the government on the student’s behalf. If it results in an account balance, these charges will then appear on the bill the student will receive from Student Accounts.

The University’s refund policy and Return of Title IV Funds procedures are independent of one another. A student who withdraws from a course may be required to return unearned aid and still owe the college for the course. Visit the Student Accounts website for information regarding fee refunds.

Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be processed as an unofficial withdrawal from the university for that semester. The return of federal student aid calculation will be performed based on withdrawal date/last date of attendance as determined by the University of Idaho.